In 1586, the first European explorers sailed into Albemarle Sound, the area that lies at the confluence of a number of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke Rivers. Half a century later, settlers from the Virginia colony migrated south, establishing agricultural settlements and trading posts along the Sound. In 1663, King Charles II of England signed a charter establishing a new colony on the North American continent. She was named Charles I Carolina in honor of his father. Due to disagreements over dominion over the territory, the Carolina Colony was divided into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1710. North Carolina and South Carolina were among the thirteen colonies that declared their independence from the British in 1776 and formed the United States of America. On May 20, 1861, North Carolina became the penultimate of the Confederate States to secede from the Union and was reinstated after the end of the American Civil War on July 4, 1868. The main agricultural products of the state are poultry, eggs, tobacco, milk, pigs and cattle, yams and soy products. Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, has developed into the second largest banking metropolis in the USA after New York. Bank of America and Wells Fargo ‘s Wachovia Bank have their headquarters there. East of the Mississippi River, North Carolina is the state with the largest percentage of Native Americans. Check topschoolsoflaw.com for brief history of the state of North Carolina.